"Truth Be Told"

"Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?" (John 7:41 KJV)

  "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction." (Proverbs 12:1 NLT)

 It is pretty silly to do something repeatedly wrong, hoping that it will somehow become right; as my mom would say, "Two wrongs, don't make it right!" As much as I would like to take credit for anything good that might happen, there is only the grace of God that works things for the good! 

 Yesterday was a pretty heartbreaking day, as I kept hearing news of the bad and sad things happening in the lives of several people that I pray for every single day. All day long I felt as though it was somehow my fault; as if maybe I hadn't prayed hard enough, or, as it was, because of my busy life, this last week especially, Tuesday morning, I shortened my prayer times and briefly mentioned their names.

 I know that might seem like an exaggeration of spiritual warfare and the enemy's ability to wreck lives just based upon someone's lack of prayer; but spiritual warfare is real! If you begin to pray for anyone, you are bringing them into a spiritual arena, where they will be a target, especially if it is about their salvation or about them becoming closer to the Lord. 

 You can say what you want about this issue, but I feel confident in the power that prayer has to effect and cause a change in someone's life. I also, see and know how the lack of prayer can and will cause the destruction in the work that has begun; because once you see the Lord is drawing them closer, you must really step into the arena too, assisting in the fight! 

 Then again! God is more than faithful! Abundantly and mercifully good! It just might be, the only way to change a heart that won't be softened, is to step up things that go wrong in someone's life...

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with a divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." (James 1:2-8 NLT)